THE BEHAVIOUR OF MULTI-STOREY STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS IN FIRE PM Sige) Uli g Research ProgrammeTHE BEHAVIOUR OF MULTI-STOREY STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS IN FIRE Produced by: British Steel ple, Swinden Technology Centre Moorgate Rotherham South Yorkshire S60 3AR United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1709 820166 Fax: +44 (0) 1709 825337 ISBN 0 900206 50 0 © 1999 British Steel plc, Swinden Technology CentreProject Team Organisations British Steel, Swinden Technology Centre (STC) which has been co-ordinating the European funded (ECSC) fire research programme, is one of the worlds leading organisations in applied steel research. It has over 350 professional research staff based at ts site in Rotherham covering all aspects in the technological development of steel products and their use in practice. During the last 20 years, the Fire Engineering Section has been responsible for conducting much. of the fundamental research carried out in the UK concerned with the behaviour of steel framed buildings in fie as well as the development of fire engineering principles, building design codes and standards. Facilities exist for advanced ‘numerical modelling studies and these have been used extensively in understanding the performance of real structures in fire, The TNO Centre for Fire Research, which is part of TNO Building and Construction Research, is primarily concemed ‘with promoting rational fire prevention policies in buildings, installations and on board ships. Itprovides a comprehensive range of consultancy services for assessing the behaviour of materials, structures and building installations in fire. The Centre has broad range of state of the art test facilities, including custom built furcaces for determining the fire resistance of building products some of which are unique in the Netherlands and large enough to accommodate complete ‘wall and floor systems. Over many years it has developed a wide range of speciality software for running on its powerful computers which are used for predicting structural behaviour in fire, smoke movement in buildings, CFD. analysis and human egress models. Centre Technique Industriel de la Construction Metallique (CTICM) is the leading research organisation for steel construction in France, The Cente is one of the two main fire resistance test laboratories in France and has a wide range of experimental facilities for evaluating the performance of building products and materials to meet National and International requirements on fire safety performance. The Research and Fise Engineering Section has for more than 30 years, been involved in both testing and the development of analytical numerical techniques for predicting the behaviour of steel and composite structures under different fire scenarios and throughout this time has been engaged in ‘wumerous national and international research programmes. ‘The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has been responsible for leading and implementing the UK funded (Dept of the Environment, Transport and the Regions - DETR) fire tests on the 8-storey frame. Itis one of the worlds leading organisations having 350 staff based 2 three sites for research and advice into; construction quality and production, environmental impact of construction, building performance - structires, materials and systems, the prevention and control of fire. Its Cardington site in Shortstown near Bedford, offers a unique facility for large scale testing and houses the multi-storey frame on which both the European and UK funded research programmes have been conducted. ‘The Steel Construction Institute (SCI is an independent, member-based organisation with the aim of developing and promoting the effective use of steel in construction. Member companies include architects, engineers, steelwork contractors, suppliers academics, local authorities and government departments within the UK, elsewhere in Europe and overseas.The SCi carties out reseasch into most aspects of structural steel design, including the effects of fire on steelwork, offshore structures and the environmental aspects of using steel. Dissemination through design guides and educational courses are a major activity. The Academy of Steel Construction at The University of Sheffield is an established centre for undergraduate, postgraduate teaching and research in a wide range of areas related to the use of steel in buildings. One of its principal activities has been the development of computer modelling techniques to simulate the response of steel structures in fire. This has developed over a period of 15 years from simple, isolated elements to complete, composite steel frames. iiACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication has been prepared with guidance from the following: Colin Bailey Kees Both an Burgess John Dowling Brian Kirby Joel Kruppa Tom Lennon David Marti David Moore Gerald Newman ‘Mark O'Connor Roger Plank Jef Robinson Leen Twilt ‘Yong Wang Bin Zhao Building Research Establishment TNO Building and Construction Research ‘The University of Sheffield British Steel, Sections Plates & Commercial Steels British Steel, Swinden Technology Centre Centre Technique Industriel de la Construction Metallique Building Research Establishment British Steel, Swinden Technology Centre Building Research Establishment ‘The Steel Construction Institute British Steel, Swinden Technology Centre ‘The University of Sheffield British Steel, Sections Plates & Commercial Steels TNO Building and Construction Research ‘The University of Manchester Centre Technique Industriel de la Construction Metallique iiiFOREWORD During the last decade a considerable number of fire resistance tests have been carried out in many European countries. Most of these tests have, however, been limited to evaluating the performances of individual structural members in compartments with carefully controlled gas fire atmospheres. Tests of this type are useful for establishing the behaviour of steel members in a standard test but they cannot represent natural fire scenarios since they do not allow for the restraining effect of other structural elements present in a building nor do they adequately represent the thermal environment of a natural fire. In view of the above British Steel, Swinden Technology Centre, The Building Research Establishment, ‘INO Building & Construction Research, Centre Technique de la Construction Metallique (CTICM), The Steel Construction Institute and The University of Sheffield formed a research team to investigate the true behaviour of steel framed buildings when subjected to fire attack. The BRE Cardington facility provided a unique opportunity to carry out the necessary large scale fie tests on a real multi-storey steel framed building which had been designed and constructed under normal commercial conditions. ‘The project work included six large scale fire tests and extensive numerical modelling. ‘The work was funded primarily by British Steel ple, The European Coal and Stee! Community, The Building Research Establishment, The Department of Environment Transport and Regions, TNO Building & Construction Research and Centre Technique Industriel de la Construction Metallique (CTICM). This document places the project in context (by reference to previous relevant work) and summarises the main results achieved to date, particularly those relating to the major fire tests, in a way that will be of immediate benefit to the fire engineering community and tothe construction industry throughout the European ‘Community, Its anticipated that the detailed results and subsequent analyses will form the basis of a new more rational design methodology for steel framed buildings under fire attack. Although care has been taken to ensure that all the data and information contained within this publication are accurate tothe extent that they relate to matters of fact, accepted practice or matters of opinion atthe time of publication, neither British Steel ple, nor the Organisations given in the project team and the authors accept any reponsilibilty for errors in or misinterpretations of such data and/ or information or any loss or damage arising from or related to their use. ivCONTENTS PROJECT TEAM ORGANISATIONS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOREWORD SUMMARY 10 INTRODUCTION 1.1 British Steel ple ECSC Programme 1.2 BRE Programme OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR IN REAL BUILDING FIRES 2.1 Broadgate Phase 8 Fire, London 2.2 Churchill Plaza Building, Basingstoke SUMMARY OF SIMILAR RESEARCH 3.1 BHP William Street Fire Tests 3.2. BHP Collins Street Fire Tests 3.3. Fire Test at the Stuttgart-Vaihingen University Germany CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS WORK THE MULTI STOREY TEST BUILDING AT CARDINGTON DETAILS OF THE TESTS 6.1 Test 1, Restrained Beam 6.2 Test2, Plane Frame 6.3 Test3, ist Comer 64 Test 4, 2nd Comer 6.5 Test 5, Large Compartment 6.6 Test 6, Simulated Office COMPARISON WITH EXISTING STRUCTURAL DESIGN INTRODUCTION TO NUMERICAL ANALYSIS 8.1 Composite Steel Framed Building Behaviour Subject to Thermal Loading 8.2 Numerical Modelling Requirements 8.3. Numerical Modelling Study 8.4 Tensile Membrane Action DISCUSSION 9.1 Observed Behaviour 9.2. Analytical and Numerical Modelling THE FUTURE Page Number ii iii iv Vii 49 50 51 62 68 69nu APPENDIX A APPENDIX B REFERENCES Section Factors Test Loading 10 BSteel, Swinden Technology Centre, in collaboration with the Building Research Establishment recently a large European research initiative to sty the behaviour of a steel framed multi-storey building subjected jo fie attack. The overall objective was to gain a greater understanding of the natural fire resistance of such structures, to correlate existing predictive numerical models and to establish the basis for a new more rational ‘design methodology for steel framed buildings subject to fire attack. This publication introduces the research project as a whole and, in particular, suramarises the results of six ‘major fire tests carried out within the eight storey steel framed structure located within the BRE Large Building Test Facility at Cardington, Bedfordshire, I was found that this composite steel framed building possessed a very significant degree of inherent fire resistance even although the steel floor beams remained entirely unprotected against fire attack. The detailed results of the fire test programme represent a very significant contribution to the development of structural fire engineering and will lead, together with the associated numerical analyses, to a more y logical approach to the design of steel framed buildings in fire. +, i vii1 INTRODUCTION In this publication the recent research carried out at the BRE Cardington Test Facility at Bedford, UK, is described. The research work was sponsored by British Steel, TNO and CTICM, jointly with the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the UK government through the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The purpose of the research was to investigate the behaviour of a ‘modern composite steel framed building in fire. Although the aim of the project was to focus on the structural behaviour in fire, valuable data has been obtained on fire development. ‘This publication is in three parts. Firstly, a summary of the observed behaviour of steel framed buildings in fire is presented. This includes the behaviour of real structures in accidental fires and test structures with experimental fires. Secondly, the major fire tests at Cardington are described and finally there is a discus- sion of the observed structural behaviour and numerical modelling. Using the major fire tests as a basis, both numerical studies and further testing have already commenced with the aim of developing design guidance for steel framed buildings in fire. In addition, a large risk and hazard assessment study is currently underway, which includes participants from every country of the Euro- pean Community. Figure 1.1 illustrates the various individual projects and their relationship within the overall fire research investigation. The ultimate aim is to be able to design steel framed buildings with a known inherent degree of fire resistance. In cases where the inherent fire resistance is insufficient to meet the fire risk, additional fire precautions will need to be applied effectively and economically. The use of active measures such as sprinklers is strongly advocated in reducing the thermal loading upon the structure, the threat to life safety, and spread of the fire to other parts of the building Department of European Environment | Commission Project Steering ( Group Numerical Multi storey Behaviour of Natural Fire Simulations, steel framed a multi storey | |Safety concept Design buildings steel framed for steal Methodology subjected to | | building subject framed and Guidance natural fires to fire effects buildings Edinburgh Building British Stoo! Arbed University, Research sTc Recherches SCI & STC Establishment r European Centres of Excellence In Fire Engineering & Fire Risk ‘Assessment Figure 1.1 Related research projects investigating the fire resistance of stee! framed buildings11° Bri h Steel plc ECSC Programme ‘The British Steel ECSC programme was designed to be complimentary to that being undertaken by the BRE and indeed both projects were closely coordinated within the overall scheme outlined in Figure 1.1. Significant changes have taken place over the last decade regarding the methods of construction for steel and composite structures. The development of new composite floor systems and advances in fabrication technology have resulted in extremely competitive steel framed buildings. Over the same period the development and application of fire engineering techniques has brought about a significant reduction in the cost of fire protecting steel frames. ‘There is, however, a growing opinion that the structural contribution of modern composite floor systems is under-utilised when designing for the fire limit state. In this research project we sought to demonstrate the true inherent fire resistance of a modern composite steel framed building under severe fire scenarios and to gain sufficient information to correlate existing predictive numerical models. ‘The British Steel fire tests increased in complexity from a gas fired furnace type test on a single floor beam to. large natural fire test within a realistic office environment. A number of test locations were utilised within the structure in order to vary'the degree of structural restraint and load levels involved. Fundamental work is being carried out to agree, on a European basis, the correct procedures to follow when modelling steel framed buildings under fire conditions, Numerical models are to be developed on a number of different platforms in order to assess existing capability to replicate the structural behaviour observed and recorded during the fire tests. ‘The ultimate goal is to be able to assess with confidence the inherent natural fire resistance of steel framed buildings and to formulate a more rational design methodology for such structures. Dr David Martin British Steel pic 1.2 BRE Programme The objectives of the BRE fire test programme were to examine the behaviour of multi-storey steel framed buildings subject to real fires and to use the data from the tests to validate computer models for structural analysis at elevated temperatures. It is anticipated that the work will provide substantial benefits and produce high quality data. This will inform decisions on the degree of fire protection required for steel framed buildings with composite floors, which could significantly reduce costs whilst maintaining existing levels of safety. Evidence from analytical. models and from investigations following real fires have suggested that the fire resistance of complete structures is better than that of the single elements from which fire resistance is universally assessed. In order to verify these observations it was necessary to carry out full scale tests to improve the design procedures for modern steel framed buildings and to quantify safety margins. ‘The philosophy of the BRE compartment fire tests was to assess the behaviour of a real building designed and constructed to normal commercial requirements subject to real fires. Traditional laboratory tests have attempted to isolate a single, of, at best, a small number of parameters for consideration by introducing ‘idealised conditions. With these fire tests the intention has been, as far as possible, to avoid such idealised conditions and to consider realistic scenarios both in terms of loading and compartment design and layout. Dr David Moore Building Research EstablishmentFigure 1.22 OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR IN REAL BUILDING FIRES In recent years two building fires in England have provided the opportunity to observe how modem steel framed buildings can perform in fire. The experience from these fires was influential in stimulating thought about how actual buildings can be designed to resist fire and in bringing about the Cardington experiments. 2.1 Broadgate Phase 8 ‘e, London In 1990 a fire developed in a partly completed 14 storey office block on the Broadgate development in London, The fire began inside a large site hut on the first level of the building. Fire temperatures were estimated to be over 1000°C. Following the fire structural elements covering an area of approximately 40 x 20m were replaced, but importantly no structural failure occurred and the integrity of the floor slab was maintained during the fire, ‘The direct fire loss was in excess of £25M, of which less than £2M was attrib- uted to the structural frame and floor damage, the other costs resulted from smoke damage. The floor was constructed using composite long span lattice trusses and composite beams supporting a composite floor slab. The floor slab was designed to have 90 minutes fire resistance. At the time of the fire the building was under construction and the passive fire protection to the steelwork was incomplete. The sprinkler system and other active measures were not yet operational. After the fire, a metallurgical investigation concluded that the temperature of the steelwork did not exceed 600°C. A similar investigation on the bolts used in the steel-to-steel connections was also conducted. This concluded that the maximum temperature reached, either during manufacture or as a consequence of the fire, was 540° Following the fire the steel beams had a maximum measured permanent deflection of 270mm and a minimum of 82mm. Beams which had higher permanent displacements showed evidence of local buckling of the bottom flange and web near to their supports. From this, it was concluded that the behaviour of the beams ‘was strongly influenced by restraint to thermal expansion. This restraint was provided by the surrounding structure which was at a substantially lower temperature than that affected by the fire. ‘The fabricated steel trusses supporting the floor slab spanned 13.5m and had a maximum permanent vertical displacement of 552mm, with some components showing buckling deformation. It was concluded that the restraint to thermal expansion provided by other members of the truss, together with differential heating of ‘members, caused additional compressive axial forces which resulted in buckling. The steel columns consisted of standard rolled sections and in cases where these were unprotected the column had deformed and shortened by approximately 100mm. These columns were adjacent to much heavier columns which showed no significant signs of permanent deformation. It was thought that this shortening was caused by restrained thermal expansion. This restraint was provided by a rigid transfer beam at an upper level of the building, together with the columns outside the fire affected area.Although some of the columns deformed, the structure showed no signs of possible collapse. It was thought that the less effected parts of the structure were able to carry additional loads which were redistributed away from the weakened areas. ‘The floor slab consisted of a standard profiled metal deck, conerete and mesh composite construction. Following the fire the floor suffered gross deformations with a maximum permanent vertical displacement of 600mm, Some failure of the reinforcenreat was observed. In some areas the steel profiled deck had debonded from the conerete. This Was considered to be caused mainly by steam release from the concrete together with the effects of thermal restraint and differential expansion. Figure 2.1 A buckled column at Broadgate following an accidental fire Figure 2.2 A buckled beam and floor slab at Broadgate following the fireA mixture of cleat and end-plate type of connections were used. Following the fire no connections were observed to have failed although deformation was evident. In the cleated connections there was some defor- mation of bolt holes. in ane end-plate conection two of the bolts hd fractured and in another the plate had fractured down one side of the beam, but the connection was still able to transfer shear. The main cause of deformation was thought to be due to the tensile forees induced during cooling. 2.2 Churchill Plaza Building, Basingstoke In 1991 a fire took place in the Mercantile Credit Insurance Building, Churchill Plaza, Basingstoke. ‘The building, constructed in 1988, was twelve storeys high, The columns had passive fire protection in the form ‘of boards and the composite floor beams had spray applied protection. ‘The underside of the composite floor ‘was not fire protected and the structure was designed to have 90 minutes fire resistance, ‘The fire started on the eighth floor and spread rapidly to the tenth floor as the gkizing failed, The fire protection materials performed well and there Was no permanent deformation of the steel frame. The fire was believed to be comparatively “coo!” due to te failure of the glazing permitting a cross wind to inerease the ventilation, ‘The protected connections showed no deformation, In places the dovetail steel deck had indicated signs of debonding from the concrete floor slab. Similar to the Broadgate fire, it was thought that this Was due to steamn from the heated conerete forcing the steel deck to break its bord from the concrete. A load test was conducted on the most badly affected area which demonstrated that the slab had adequate Joad carrying capacity and could be reused without repair. The estimated cost of repair to the building was over £5M, with most of the damage being due to smoke. The fire protection was replaced although visually it appeared undamaged. No structweal repair was required to the protected steelwork. DURDUONAEE Figure 2.3. Churchill Plaza, Basingstoke following the fire 63 SUMMARY OF SIMILAR RESEARCH Large scale tests of the type conducted at Cardington are rare. However, some notable tests have been carried out and these are now reviewed. 3.1 BHP William Street Fire Tests BHP are Australia’s biggest steel maker and have been actively researching fire engineered solutions for steel framed buildings for many years. They have carried out a number of tests. The two main test pro- ‘grammes were designed to demonstrate the performance of specific buildings and these are now discussed. ‘The 41 storey building at 140 William Street in the centre of Melbourne was the tallest in Australia when it was built in 1971. The beams and the soffit of the composite steel deck floors had been protected with asbestos based material and a decision was made to remove these hazardous coatings during a refurbishment programme in 1990. The building was square on plan, with a central square inner core, The steelwork around the inner core and external steel columns were protected by concrete, which remained unchanged after refurbishment. The floor structure had been designed largely to serviceability rather than strength requirements. This ‘meant that there was a reserve of strength which Would be very beneficial to the survival of the frame in fire, as higher temperatures could be sustained before the frame reached its limiting strength. At the time of the refurbishment the required fire resistance was 120 minutes. Normally this would entail the application of fire protection to the steel beams and also to the soffit of the very lightly reinforced slab (present Australian Regulations have been revised which allow the soffit ofthe slab to be left unprotected for 120 minutes fire resistance). In addition, the regulations, at the time, also stated that the light hazard sprinkler system would require upgrading. During 1990, the fire resistance of buildings was subject to national debate and the opportunity was taken to conduct a risk assessment to assess whether fire protecting the steelwork and upgrading the sprinkler system ‘was necessary for this building. Two assessments were made. The first was made on the basis that the building conformed to current regulations with no additional safety measures and the second was made assuming no protection to the beams and soffit ofthe slab, together with using the existing sprinkler system. AAiso, in the second assessment the effect of detection systems and building management systems were included. If the results from the second risk assessment were at least as favourable as those from the previous assessment then the use of the existing sprinkler system and unprotected steel beams and composite slabs were considered acceptable. A series of four fire tests were then carried out to obtain data for the second risk assessment. This included ‘matters such as the likely nature of the fire, the performance of the existing sprinkler system, the behaviour of the unprotected composite slab and castellated beams subjected to real fires, and the likely generation of smoke and toxic products.The tests were conducted on a purpose built test building at BHP Research Melbourne Laboratories. This, simulated a typical 12m x 12m comer bay of the actual building. The test building was furnished to resemble an office envirorment with a 4m x 4m_ small office constructed adjacent to the perimeter of the building. This office was enclosed by plasterboard, windows, a door, and the facade of the test building. Imposed oading was applied by water tanks total of four fire tests were conducted. The first two were concerned with testing the performance of the existing light hazard sprinkler system, In Test | a fire was started in the small office and the sprinklers were automatically activated. This office had a fire load of S2kg/m*. The atmosphere temperatures reached 60°C before the sprinklers controlled and extinguished the fire. In Test 2, a fire was started in the open-plan area midway between four sprinklers. This area had a fire load of 53.Skg/m*. The atmosphere temperature reached 118°C before the sprinklers controlled and extinguished the fire. These two tests showed that the existing light hazard sprinkler system was adequate. ‘The composite slab was assessed in Test 3. The supporting beams were partially protected. The fire was started in the open plan area and allowed to develop with the sprinklers switched off. The maximum. atmosphere temperature reached 1254°C. The fire was extinguished once it was considered that the atmosphere temperatures were past their peak. The slab supported the imposed load. ‘The maximum temperature recorded on the top surface of the floor slab was 72°C. The underside of the slab had been partially protected by the ceiling system which remained substantially in place during the fire. In Test 4 the steel beams were left unprotected and the fire was started in the small office. The fire did not spread to the open-plan area despite manual breaking of windows to increase the ventilation. Fires were therefore then ignited from an external source in the open-plan area. The maximum recorded atmosphere temperature was 1228°C with a maximum steel temperature of 632°C. The fire was extinguished when it ‘was considered the atmosphere temperatures were past their peak. However, since steel temperatures typically Jag behind the atmosphere temperatures it is not conclusive that the maximum steel temperatures were reached during this test. Again the steel beams and floor were partially shielded by the ceiling. The central displacement of the castellated beam was 120mm and most of this deflection was recovered after the test. Tewas concluded from the four fire tests that the existing light hazard sprinkler system was adequate, and no fire protection was required to the steel beams or soffit of the composite slab. Therefore, any fire in the William Street building should not excessively deform the slab or steel beams provided the steel temperatures do not exceed those recorded in the tests. This relies on protection provided by the suspended ceiling system, which remained largely intact during the tests 3.2 BHP Collins Street Fire Tests ‘The purpose of the test was to collect data on fire resulting from combustion of furniture in a typical office ‘compartment, The compartment was 8.4m x 3.6m and filled with typical office furniture, which gave a fire load between 44 and 49 kg/m?. A non-fire-rated suspended ceiling system was installed, with tiles consisting of plaster with a fibreglass backing blanket. An unloaded concrete slab formed the top of the compartment, During the test, temperatures were recorded in the steel beams between the concrete slab and the suspended ceiling. The temperatures of three internal free-standing columns were also recorded.Two of these columns were protected with aluminum foil and steel sheeting and the other remained unprotected. Three unloaded external columns were also constructed and placed 300mm from the windows around the perimeter of the compartment. Following the test it was shown that the non fire rated ceiling system provided an effective fire barrier causing the temperature of the steel beams to remain low. During the test the majority of the suspended ceiling remained in place. Gas temperatures below the ceiling ranged from 831 to 1163°C, with the lower value occurring near to the broken windows. Above the ceiling the air temperatures ranged from 344 to 724°C, with higher temperatures occurring where the ceiling was breached. ‘The maximum steel beam temperature was 430°C. ‘The internal columns reached a peak temperature of 730°C for the unprotected case and below 400°C for the protected cases, The external columns recorded a peak temperature of 480°C, with the flange nearest to the fire compartment being hotter ‘This fire test showed that the temperatures of the beams and external columns were suf intly low to justify the use of unprotected steel and, as in the William Street tests, the protection afforded by a non-fire- rating suspended ceiling was beneficial. Figure 3.1. The BHP test buildingFigure 3.2 BHP fire test 3.3 Fire Test at the Stuttgart-Vaihingen University Germany Tn 1985 a fire test was conducted on a four storey steel-framed demonstration building constructed at the Stuttgart-Vaihingen University in Germany”, Following the fire test the building was used as an office and laboratory. ‘The building was constructed using many different forms of steel and vonerete composite elements. These ineluded water filled columns, partially eneased columns, concrete filled columns, composite beams and various types of composite floor ‘The main fire test was conducted on the thitd floor, in a compattment covering approximately one third of the building. Wooden cribs pravided the fire load and oil drums fitled with water provided the gravity load. During the test, the atmosphere temperature exceeded 1000"C, with the floor beams reaching temperatures ‘up to 650°C. Following the test, investigation of the beams showed that the concrete infilled webs had spalled in some areas exposing the reinforcement. However, the beams behaved extremely well during the test with na significant permanent deformations following the fice. The external columns and those around the central core showed no signs of permanent deformation, The composite Moor reached a maximum displacement of 60mm during the fire and retained its overall imtegsity. Following the fire, refurbishment work involved the complete replacement of the fire damaged external wall panels. The damaged portions of steel decking to the concrete floor slab and the concrete infill to the beams were also replaced. The floor was strengthened by adding reinforcement to the soffit of the slab and spraying with concrete. Overall it was shown that refurbishment to the structure was possible at a low cost and using minimal labour. 104 CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS WORK ‘The design of the Cardington tests was most influenced by the Broadgate fire. Following this fire it could be seen that some of the elements had lost theif load carrying capacity although there were no signs of collapse. It was clear that the composite floor and supporting steelwork had a major influence on the overall stability of the structure, acting as a diaphragm or membrane distributing loads from weakening members, ‘The Austraiian tests were interesting illustrations of what was likely to happen in a real building, but their reliance on the non-fire-rating suspended ceilings could be problematic in practice. The Basingstoke fire showed how well a fully protected building might perform and could be seen as a vindication of our present regulations. However, it gave no indication of how safe the traditional approach ‘with fully protected steelwork actually is (the level of safety was unknown), and therefore no information on possible over specification. ‘The test in Germany was very successful and showed that many of the composite forms of construction which are now incorporated into EC4 Part 1.2°? will perform well in real fires. Experience in UK, where a large proportion of multi-storey buildings are constructed in steel, indicates however, that many of the systems tested would be uneconomic. This is mainly due to the low cost of fire protection in the UK compared with many other countries within Europe. Therefore, the German test, although an excellent demonstration of the performance of composite construction in fire, was not influential in the design of the Cardington major fire tests. u5 THE MULTI-STOREY TEST BUILDING AT CARDINGTON The cight-storey steel-framed test building was constructed by the Building Research Establishment at its Cardington Laboratory near Bedford, The building was designed and constructed to resemble a typical modern city centre office development (Figure 5.1). On plan, the building covered an area of 21m x 45m with an overall height of 33m, There were 5 equally spaced bays along the length of the building. Across the width there were 3 bays spaced 6m, 9m and 6m. Placed centrally was a 9nt x 2.5m lift core with two 4m x 4.5m stairwells placed at cither end, A central reception area required the removal of two columns in the first wo storeys. The columns above this level were supported by transfer beams, A. plan of the building is shown in Figure 5.2. Figure 5.1 General view of the structural frame The structural design was cartied out to the British Standard, BS5950", by Consulting Engineers, Peter Brett Associates, ‘The design also complied with the Eurocodes, EC3 and ECS, The fabrication and erection was carried out by Caunton Engineering Limited and was completed in March 1993. ‘The steel members were shot-blasted, but left unpainted. Rolling of the members took place at three different British Steel tills, Lackenby, Shelton and Scunthorpe. Mill relense tests showed that the yield strengih of the Grade $275 material was in the range 291 to 318 N/mm’ and the S355 material 371 to 413 Némm’, 12The structure was designed as a braced frame with lateral restraint provided by cross bracing of $355 flat steel, around the three vertical access shafts, The overall frame was designed to localize accidental damage, with transfer beams at second floor level together with the supporting columns and their respective restraining ‘members designed as ‘key elements’ to BS5950. This involved ensuring that these elements could withstand a blast loading of 34kN/m®, which resulted in the need for horizontal tying members to the columns at first and second floor levels. $275 rolled steel angies were used as windposts positioned at 3.0m centres along the edge beams from ground to fourth floor and at 2.25m centres above this level. These had an estimated yield stress of 280 Nimm?. ® 0 @ v0 OD se © wos © sus © a = —< > 7 7 4 , a “ rosy J 4 4 Main beam sizes: 9.0m secondary beam : 305x165x40 UB (Grade $275) 9.0m primary beam : 610x229x101 UB (Grade $275) 6.0m primary beam : 356x171x51 UB (Grade S355) 9.0m perimeter beam : 356x171x61 UB (Grade $355) Figure 5.2 General plan of test building The beams were designed as simply-supported acting compositely with the floor slab with 95mm x 19mm diameter shear studs. The composite flooring system consisted of 0.9mm thick steel deck (PMF CF70), which was continuous over a minimum of two spans. Grade 35 lightweight concrete (nominal density 1900 kg! m2) was specified with A142 anti-crack mesh consisting of 6mm diameter wires at 200mm centres (Figure 5.3). The overall minimum depth of the slab was 130mm. ‘To comply with the present UK Building Regulations " this type of building would require 90 minutes fire | resistance. ‘The design engineers/architects would usuaify specify the fire protection to the steel frame. | ‘Typical section sizes used in the frame together with their associated section factors (defined as the exposed | surface area of the member divided by the volume of the member, per unit length) are included in Appendix. ‘A, These section factors are used to determine the required thickness of fire protection which would cally be in the form of a board, spray or intumescent coating. ‘The steel-(o-steel connections consisted of fin plates (Figure 5.4) for the beam-to-beam and flexible end- plates (Figure 5.5) for the beam-to-column connections. Column splices consisted of cap and base plates. 13Perimeter columns and 75% of the columns around the bracing cores were spliced once over the building hight, with the heavier loaded internal columns being spliced twice. Throughout the structural design the underlying philosophy was to obiain a frame that used the minimum amount of material, was simple to manufacture, and at all stages of construction and erection reflected normal building practice rather than specialist research procedures fo Figure 5.3 PMF CF70 Cornpasite slab (note, due to the raised re-entrant the mesh can be placed directly onto the deck, with the cross-wires down) WsFigure 5.4 Fin-plate (beam-to-beam} connection Sand bags, each weighing HKN, were used to simulate the appliod load during the fire ests. ‘The characteristic ids and the load applied during the tests are given in Appendix B, Recent fire design codes use the Pt of load ratio, defined as the load applied during the fire divided by the normal (cold) resistance. The ac the main beams wed in the frame are inclucled in Appendix B. Figure 5.5 Flexible end-plate (beam-to-column) connection6 DETAILS OF THE TESTS The objectives of the test programme were:- + To provide data to verify computer models of steel frame behaviour in fire, + To demonstrate the behaviour of large scale structures in fie. + To provide the basis for the preparation of a more rational design methodology for steel framed buildings under fire conditions. ‘The two programmes of tests (BS/ECSC and BRE) took place between January 1995 and July 1996. Where possible, lessons from one test influenced the details of the following tests. In all, 6 major fire tests were carried out, These are summarised in the following table and their locations are shown in Figure 6.1 Table 6.1 Summary of the test programme Test Sponsor Description Floor area (m’) Location 1 BS /ECSC Restrained beam 24 level 7 2 BS /ECSC Plane frame 3 level 4 3 BS /ECSC 1" Comes 16 level 2 4 BRE 2! Comer 54 revel 3 5 BRE Large compartment 340 level 3 6 BS /ECSC Large compartment (office) 136 level 2 Figure 6.1 Floor layout and location of the fire tests 166.1 Test 1, Restrained Beam ‘The restrained beam test was carried out on the steelwork supporting the seventh floor of the building. A purpose built gas fired furnace, 8.0m long and 3.0m wide (Figure 6.2) was designed and constructed (on the sixth floor) to heat a 305x165x40UB, and part of the surrounding structure, spanning between two colusnns (254x254x89UC). The beam was heated over the middle 8.0m of its 9.0m length, thus keeping the connections, as near as possible ut ambient temperature. Figure 6.2 Purpose built gas fired furnace A flexible ceramic fibre curtain was placed between the underside of the slab and top of the fabricated furnace wall, allowing the Floor to deflect unimpeded. Collars comprising staintess steel sheets with ceramic fibre infill were fitted around the ends of the beams as they passed through the furnace walls. ‘This was done to allow the beams (o freely deflect and also minimise leakage of hot gases along the beam, The voids between the top flange of the heated beam and underside of the steel decked floor were filled with mineral wool. Previous research has shown that this is not necessary, resulting in the common practice of leaving these voids unfilled. However, in this case the voids were filled to reduce the thermal gradient through the heated beam, thus simplifying the computer simulations, On all the oiher tests the voids were left unfilled, The heated steel beam and surrounding steel structure was extensively instrumented using strain gauges, position sensors, inclinometers and thermocouples. The composite floor was also instrumented to obtain the temperature distribution through the slab, and the strain in the mesh, In total, 300 pieces of instrumentation were installed, ‘The beam was heated at between 3-10°C per minute until temperatures within the range of 800-900°C were recorded through the profile of the section, At this point the mid-span deflection had reached 232mm, Although at these temperatures the strength of the structural steel is less than 10% of its yield strength at ambient temperature, Figure 6.3 illustrates that, even when the test was terminated, ‘runaway’ displacement (instability) was not reached. The heating rate adopted was much slower in comparison 7to that experienced by unprotected steel in a standard fire test, and was more appropriate to a protected steel ‘member tested over a period of 1 to 2 hours. However, an essential feature of the test was to evaluate the effect of composite action between the floor and beam and a slower heating rate would allow more heat to be conducted through the concrete to the reinforcement. At the beam’s maximum temperature (887°C in the lower flange) the midspan deflection was 232mm. Once the beatt had cooled back to ambient temperature the mid-span deflection recovered to 113mm, 250 +000 20 > : ovo E s z § - 600 8 $ 5 foo woof i i 3 5 5 i o) 4 cr 200 Vertical displacement Maximum temperatura 9 0 20~«40~« «BO «100120 140 160 180 200 Time (mins.) Figure 6.3 Maximum vertical displacement and temperature recorded in the beam during the test. During the test local buckling had occurred at both ends of the test beam, just inside the furnace wall (Figure 64). Inaddition, close examination of the ends of the beam also revealed the lower flange had distorted as itexpanded against the web of the column section, The time at which these effects occurred can be identified ‘yom the instrumentation readings, For example, from the strain gauge readings, local buckling occurred at approximately 70 minutes into the test. At which point the lower flange, web and upper flange temperatures ‘were 554, 507 and 390°C respectively. ‘Visual inspection of the beam after the test showed that the end-plate connection at both ends of the beam hhad fractured in the region adjacent to the edge of the heat affect zone (Figure 6.5), on one side of the beam. This was caused by thermal contraction of the beara during cooling, generating very high tensile forces. Although the plate has sheared down one side, this mechanism relieves the induced tensile strains, with the plate on the other side of the beam retaining its integrity and thus providing shear capacity to the beam. The fracturing of the plate can be identified from the strain gauge readings, which show that during cooling the fracture process occurred over a period of time rather than instantaneous rupture. 18Figure 6.4 Test 1: Local buckling of test beam just inside furnace Figure 6.5 Fractured connection 6.2 Test 2, Plane Frame This test was designed to investigate the behaviour of the primary beams and columns on gridline B, supporting, the fourth floor across the full width of the building, as shown in Figure 6.6, 19/ Colin Bt Colum Bs, é Figure 6.6 Schematic representation of the plane frame test One of the objectives of the test was 10 investigate the behaviour of the structure in the proximity of the connections and also the behaviour of the connections themselves. In addition it was important 10 define the need and extent of fire protection around the connection area, when the coltimns are insulated Using vonerete blockwork, gas fired furnace 21 m long by 2.5 an wide by 4.01 high, and insulated on the intemal surface. was constructed across the full width of the building (Figure 6.7). A 400mm high ceramic fibre blanket was installed between ihe top of the blockwork and undersicle of the steel decking. This ailowed the composite floor slab and primary beans to deilect freely . Slots were also butt into the furnace walls oallow tree movement of the seconstary beams and for jnstcumentation bars to wansenit displacement of the internal structure to externally placed transducers. Hating way provided by eight independent industrial burners mounted on one side of the furnace ear to the third floor evel Figure 6.7 Part of the 21m furnace 20‘The primary and secondary beams together with the underside of the composite floot were left unprotected The columns were protected with mineral Wool insulation boards to a height at which a suspended ceiling ‘might be installed (although no such ceiling was present). This resulted in the top 800mm of the columas, which incorporated the connections, being unprotected. The protection was specified such that the columns would not exceed a temperature of 500°C. Six hundred separate pieces of instrumentation were installed to measure the following: : ‘Temperatures at specific locations along the heated steel beams. + Temperature profiles through the composite floor, directly above the primary beams and also at locations between the heated stee! and furnace wall. . ‘Temperatures around the connections. ‘Temperatures at specific locations within the protected and unprotected parts of the columns. : Vertical and lateral displacements of the primary steel beams. : Lateral displacements of the columns. : Rotations at the main beam-to-column connections. . Strains in the heated columns and surrounding structure. ee 1,000 = 950 Maximum vertical displacement Maximum temperature E eats ~ — ny — = eS 900 § 600 3 e 8 400 £ 3 200 Wo 0 50 100-150-200 250 30050 Time (mins) Figure 6.8 Maximum vertical displacement and temperature of the central 9.0m steel beam ‘The rate of vertical displacement of the central 9.0m steel beam increased rapidly between approximately 110 and 125 minutes. This was caused by the exposed areas of the internal columns squashing by approximately 180mm. ‘The measured maximum displacement and temperature is shown in Figure 6.8 and the squashing of the column in Figure 6.9.Figure 6.9 Squashing of the exposed part of the column. (Note: the original extent of the protection can be defined from the white residue line around the column) Figure 6.10 indicates that the temperature of the exposed part of the column Was approximately 670°C when. squashing commenced soo a Os = Maximum vertical displacement Temperature of column, = F350 E E _ : 200 2 B 200 2 2 3 = 50 600 F 8 oo 3 = iso 400 = be z 2 190 5 g mE 2 50)! E 3 of Se ee ee Time (mins) Figure 6.10 Maximum vertical displacement of central 9.0m beam and temperature of exposed top Section of internal columnsA general view of the framne following the fire is shown in Figure 6.11, which clearly shows the localised squashing of the column, This behaviour resulted in all the floors above the fire compariment falling by approximately 180mm. In a real building this will cause the floors above the fire compartment, together with the compartment area itself, to be unusable until the damaged structure is reinstated. This would, of course, result in considerable disruption and consequential financial losses for the occupants of the building. ‘Therefore, since the aim is to localise damage to the compartment area only, this test indicates that the: ‘columns need to be protecied over their full length, This was done in all the following tests Figure 6.11 General view of the frame following the test ‘The secondary beams were heated over a length of approximately 1.0m on both sides of the primary beams After the test, investigation showed that many of the bolts in the fin-plate connections had sheared (Figure! 6.12), However, since secondary beams were connected both sides of the primary beams, the bolts had only. sheared in the connection on one side of the primary beam. Ina similar mannet to the fracturing of the plate, in Test 1. the bolts sheared due to thermal contraction of the beam section duting cooling. ‘The thermal contraction generated very high tensile forces which were relieved once the bolts sheared in the fin-plate on one side of the primary beam. 6.3 Test 3, 1st Corner ‘The objective of this test was to investigate the behaviour of a complete floor system, In particular, the role of bridging/membrane action of the floor in providing alternative load paths as the supporting steel frame reaches high temperatures.Figure 6.12 Bolt shear in beam-to-beam connections {fin-plates) Using concrete blockwork, a compartment 1m wide by 7.6m deep was constructed on the first floor of the building in one comer, as show in Figure 6.13. A400mm high ceramic fibre curtain was fitted between the top of the furnace wall and underside of the steel decking ( allow unimpeded vertical displacement of the composite floor, Slots were also made in the fusniace wall 1o allow all beams to deflect freely, Any remaining, {gaps around the furnace were loosely filled with ceramic fibre. ‘Toensure that the compartment walls did sw contribute to supporting the applied loads all the restraints and ties in the gable wall and the top layer of blockwork were removed, together with the mineral fibre board in the expansion joints. Where the compartment wall butted up against the flange of a column section, oF Was Built intothe wed of a column section, a }Onim gap was left between the steel and masonicy. Therefore, both the existing and new wall construction of the furnace only provided a means of containing the fire and did not contribute to the structural performance of the building, ‘To avoid additional complication with the structural analysis. the wind posts on gridline 1, in the fire compartment, between the fizst and second floors were femoved and those between the second and third floors were detached from the edge beast, The circular hollow section which provided lateral restraint to the coluinn E2 was also removed. Column E? and the internal surfaces of the perimeter columns 1E, UF and 2F, together with column-to-beam connections wete protected using 25mm ceramic fibre blanket. The exccttal perimeter beams were protected ina similar manner. All the internal primary and secondary beams ineluing the beam-to-beam connections, were left unprotected, The voids between the underside of the steel decking and top of the steel beams were Jeft unfitled. Figure 6.14 shows an internal view of the compartment nearing completion.Figure 6.13 Schematic representation of Test 3 Figure 6.14 Internal view of test compartment nearing completion 25Figure 6.15 Front view of compartment during early fire development stage From observations of the previous tests, it was decided that this test should be designed so that the steel temperatures exceed 1000°C, Calculations bases! on the parametric equations in EC] Part 2.2, showed that a fire loading of 45kg of wood/n® of floor atca with only & small adjustment to the initial ventilation conditions, would achieve this maximum temperature. The fire loading Was distributed throughout the Compartment ix the form of twenty 1m square cribs, using 50x50mm softwood. At the height of the fire the measured heat release was 1IMW. Figure 6.16 shows a comparison between the measured and calculated atmosphere temperatures. TAS Figure 6.16 Comparison between measured and predicted atmosphere time/temperature response 26Indicative protected steel sections were included in the test compartment to measure the fire severity in relation to a heating period in the ISO 834° fire resistance test. This was found to be equivalent to 86 minutes which compares favourably with 94.5 minutes calculated using the EC1 design method and 89 minutes calculated using the Pettersson formula®. In both calculations the thetmal properties of the compartment boundaries were considered. Six hundred separate pieces of instrumentation were installed to measure: + Steel temperature profiles along the primary, secondary and edge beams. + Temperature profiles through the composite floor. + Stee! temperatures at specific locations along the columns + Steel temperatures around the connections. + Vertical and lateral deflections and displacements of the beams, columns and floor slab. + Beam and column rotation at the connections. * Strain profiles across the columns within the test compartment and the surrounding structure. + Strain across the composite floor. * Compartment atmosphere temperatures. ‘The maximum vertical displacement of 428mm occurred at the centre of the secondary beam spanning between gridlines E and F, located between gridlines 1 and 2. On cooling this recovered to a permanent displacement of 296mm, The maximum recorded temperature of the secondary beam was 935°C (Figure 6.17) 600 7 1,200 se —_— 1,000 5 le wf bow wt | i 3 co J a0 € & i i aoe 200 100 150200 Time (mins) Figure 6.17 Maximum vertical displacement and temperature of 9.0m secondary beam Al of the combustible material within the compartment was consumed by the fire, as shown in Figure 6.18. Overall the structure behaved extremely well with no signs of collapse, Figure 6.19 shows the deformation of the structure once the furnace was removed. 27Figure 6.18Figure 6.18 Internal view of compartment (looking towards gable wall) following the test Figure 6.19 Structural deformation following the fire Extensive buckling occurred in the proximity of the bem to column connections (Figure 6.20). It was of interest to note the behaviour of the fin-plate connection of the internal 9.0m secondary beam. Local buckling, occurred at the beams’s end which was connected to the primary beam on grid-line E (Figure 6.21). This ‘was caused by axial restraint from the connecting stecl members and composite slab, At the other end of the beam which was connected to an external beam, no local buckling occurred (Figure 6.22). ‘This was due to the thermal expansion, of the secondary beam, causing the external beam 16 twist, thus, 28providing insufficient restraint to cause local buckling. Both connections, of the beam, experienced no shearing of the bolts indicating that tensile forces induced during cooling were not very high Figure 6.20 Extensive local buckling occurred in the proximity of the beam to column connections Figure 6.21 Fin-plate connection of the secondary 9.0m beam showing local buckling (connection is secondary to primary beam on grid-line E)Figure 6.22 Twisting of external beam to external beam 6.4 Test 4, 2nd Corner This test was carried out on the commer bay between gridlines E to F and 3 to (Figure 6.23). The compartment was built on the second floor with the third floor steel and slab being heated. The internal boundaries of the compartment were constructed using steel stud partitions with fire resistant board and placed centrally on gridlines E and slightly offset from gtidline 3, as shown in Figure 6.24, The stud partition was specified to hhave 2 hours fire resistance, with a deflection head of 25mm (Figure 6.25). The existing full-height blockwork wall formed the boundary on gridline F. On gridiine 4 the existing Im high blockwork dado wall retained in place and a glazing system was constructed. The compartment Was totally enclosed with all windows and doors closed. The internal column on gridtine E3 was fully protected up to the underside of the floor stab, including the connections. Protection was also provided to the two extemal columns on gridlines E4 and Fs. The two remaining columns were outside the compartment, behind the shaft walling used to protect the stairwell. ‘Twelve timber eribs were used ww give a fie loud of 4Okg/m’, This resulted in a total fire load of 2160kg over the compartment area of 54m*,2 7. Figure 6.23 Schematic of test 4 (second corner test) Fire Compartment =# 15mm dettection nead Figure 6.24 Stud partition arrangement on gridline 3 Figure 6.25 Start of fire test 4 3l278 thermocouples were used to monitor the temperature of the steel columns and beams, the concrete slab, and the atmosphere temperature within the compartment, Also, temperatures were measured at various locations immediately outside the compartment area including indicative steel sections which were suspended from the compartinent ceiling. The internal and external temperatures of the gable wall were also monitored. 300 strain gauges were used to measure the response of the structure to the fire, Seven columns on the fire floor, together with the floor above and below, and the seventh floor, Were instrumented in addition to four beams on the fire floor outside the fire compartment. Additional strain gauges were used to measure the response of the reinforeing mesh and the concrete surface on the thitd floor 47 travel displacement transducers were used to measure the deformation of the eonerete slab on the third floor and the axial and Interal stovement of the colunins on gridlines E3 and E4. 12 clinometers were used to measure the major axis rotations af the connections within the compartment. An innovative taser system monitored any movement of the gable wall during the fire test Figure 6.26 (a) Fire test in progressFigure 6.26(b) _ Fire test in progress The development of the fire was largely influenced by the lack of oxygen within the compartment. Afteran initial rise in temperature the fire died down and continued to smoulder until the fire brigade intervened to vent zhe compartment by removal of a single pane of glazing. This resulted in a small increase in temperature followed by a decrease, Flashover did not occur until a second pane, immediately below the first, was removed. This initiated a sharp increase in temperature which continued as the fire developed. The progress of the fire can be seen in Figure 6.26, The maximum recorded atmosphere temperature in the centre of the compartment was 1051°C after 102 minutes (Figure 6.27). The maximum steel temperature of 903°C was recorded after 114 minutes in the bottom flange of the central bear. 33geeggeee g § i e © 409} —_ 900 F 200 + 100 ° 0 2 4 60 e 100 120 140 160 Tre (ins) Figure 6.27 Maximum and average recorded atmosphere temperature throughout the fire compartment ‘The maximum recorded value of 269mm for the slab displacement occurred in the centre of the compartment after 130 minutes (Figure 6.28). Measurements taken the following day indicated that the slab had recovered toa permanent displacement of 160mm. 350 1,200 = Maximum temperature = oa 4,000 5 = ‘Maximum vertical displacement oi oe | 8 8 2s0 8 5 800 | 0 i 3 coo § B1s0 3 & 400 & § 100 z E 3 so 200 3 ° 20 40 «60 «80100120 :«140~—«160 ‘Time (mins) Figure 6.28 Recorded vertical displacement and temperature of the secondary beam at the centre of the fire compartment ‘The unprotected edge beam was observed during the test to be completely engulfed in fire (Figure 6.26). However, the maximum temperature of this beam only reached 680°C, with a corresponding maximum displacement of 52mm, recorded after 114 minutes (Figure 6.29). Even with lower temperatures, compared to the internal beams, the displacement of the edge beam was very small. This was attributed to the wind posts above the compartment, which acted in tension during the test, providing support to the heated 34beam. The tops of these wind posts were fixed by bolts through slotted holes which were SOmm in te ath ‘Therefore a large proportion of the 52 mm displacement could be attributed to the bolt slippage. Unfortunately the position of the bolts wa not recorded before the test. Figure 6.30 illustrate the permanent deformation of the edge beam following the test, ft should be noted that since the displacements of the edge beam were very small no damage occurred to the fucade of the building above the compastment, Figure 6.29 Figure 6.30 Nacmumtompocixe Verica displacement | g € q i i 40 $ é wl i : 20 ao & i ; g 300 8 # 2 ; moe B10 = ; : ° -——l9 360 mC] Tie ins) Maximum vertical displacement and temperature of edge beam Deformation of the unprotected edge beam following the test The internal compartment walls were constructed on the gridlines under unprotected beams. these beams would require protection to comply with the insulation criterion, for compartmentation, of the 35 In practice180 834 test, However, itis of interest to notice how well the compartment wall performed (Figure 6.315. With its integrity heing maintained for the duration of the test. On removal of the wall it could be seen that the heam had distortionally buckled over most of its length (Figure 6.32). This was caused by the high thermal gradient through the cross-section of the beam (caused by the positioning of the compartment wall), together with high restraint (o thermal expansion. Figure 6.31 Integrity of the compartment wail was maintained during the test Figure 6.32 Distortional buckling of the beam above the compartment wall (after removal of the wall) No local buckling occurred in any of the beams, and the connections showed none of the cha of high tensile forces which wete encountered on cooling in the previous tests, 36 racteristic signs,65 Test 5, Large Compartment ‘This test was carried out between the second and third floor, with the fire compartment extending over the full width of the building and between gridline A and 0,5 m from gridline C, covering an area of 340m’, ® © © Figure 6.33 Schematic of Test 5 ‘The fire load of 40kg/m? was provided by timber cribs arvanged uniformly over the floor area (Figure 6.34). The compartment was constructed by erecting a five resistant wall across the full width of the building and by constructing additional protection to the lift shaft. Double glazing was installed on two sides of the building on gridlines | and 4. To allow sufficient ventilation for the fire to develop the middle third of the glazing on both sides of the building was left open. All she steel beams, including the perimeter beams, were left unprotected. The internal and external columns were protected up to and including the connections Figure 6.34 Timber cribs within the compartment Ina manner similar to tes. 4, the ventilation condition governed the severity of the fire. There was an initial rapid rise in temperature as the glazing was destroyed creating large openings on both sides of the building ‘The large ventilation area in wo opposite sides of the compartment gave rise to a fire of Jong duration but lower than expected temperatures. The maximum recorded atmosphere temperature Was 746°C (Figure 6.35), with a maximum stcel temperature of 691°C. recorded at the centre of the compartment, 37Average Maximum o 2 4 6 8 100 120 140° 160 180 Time (mins.) Figure 6.35 | Maximum and average recorded atmosphere temperature throughout the fire compartment 179 thermocouples were used to monitor the temperature of the steel columns and beams, the concrete slab, and the atmosphere temperature within the compartment. Also, thermocouples were used to measure temperatures immediately outside the compartment wall next to gridline C, and in the hanger steel. Due to limited available resources some of the steel beams within the compartment area were not instrumented, and thus their temperature response was not recorded. 204 strain gauges were used to measure the response of the columns, reinforcement mesh and surface of the concrete slab. 50 displacement transducers were used to measure the vertical displacement of the beams and slab within the compartment. The response of the fire resistant wall next to gridline C was monitored using 6 displacement transducers. A laser system was used to measure the movement of the gable masonry walls. The maximum slab displacement reached a value of 557mm (Figure 6.36) which was recorded halfway between gridlines 2 and 3 and B and C. This recovered to a value of 481mm when the structure cooled. The temperatures on only one of the 9.0m internal secondary beams (on gridline 3) were measured (Figure 6.36). Figure 6.37 shows the structural response in the latter stages of the fire. It can be seen that the structure performed very well with stability and integrity of the compartment being maintained during the heating stage of the fire. However, the fire was not very severe, with a maximum recorded steel temperature of 691°C, 38“Temperature (°C) Time (Mins) Figure 6.36 © Maximum slab displacement and temperature of 9.0m secondary beam Figure 6.37 Structural behaviour towards the end of the test notice the focal buckling on the second internal secondary bearn) Extensive local buckling occurred in the proximity of the beam-to-beam connections (Figure 6.38), On cooling a number of the end-plate connections fractured down one side: in one instance the web detached itself trom the ond-plate (Figure 6.39) 39Figure 6.38 Local buckling in the proximity of the steel-to-stee! connections Figure 639 Connection where the beam web has detached itself from the end-plate during tive cooling phase of the fire 406.6 Test 6, Simulated Office The aim of this test was to demonstrate that the type of structural behaviour observed in the earlier tests ‘would also occur when the building was subjected to a more realistic fire scenario, while at the same time investigating other aspects of structural behaviour not previously addressed. &j S can Ke \ @ @ on a) ey @r nasa “+S @ re Eats e Figure 6.40 Schematic of Test 6 A compartment 18m wide and up to 10m deep with a floor area of 135m? was constructed between the first and second floors, using concrete blockwork. A gap of approximately 250mm was left between the top of the blockwork and underside of the steel decking, together with slots around the steel beams, to allow the heated structure to deform freely. These gaps were filled with a insulating ceramic fibre blanket. The design of the compartment was such that it represented an open plan office (Figure 6.40) and contained a series of work stations consisting of modern day furnishings, computers and filing systems (Figure 6.41). 41Figure 6.41 Internal view of the compartment Although it was possible to identify a wide range of scenarios with respect to fire loading. ventilation, method of ignition, fire growth and spread, the test conditions were designed and calculated to create the most severe fire possible. For example: Windows were provided along one wall using single panel aluminium gazing in which the total area of fenestration was equivalent to 20% of the toral floor area (which corresponds to the miinirom sequicements given in the UK Building Regulations). ‘The relative dimensions of the frames with respect to height and width were deterimined on the basis of providing the most detrimental opening factor to achieve near maximum compartment temperatures when all the glazing was destroyed during the test. ‘To ensure that the compartment was not starved of oxygen in the early stages of the test some of the glazing was omitted. The extent of the initial opening was governed by the heat release rate requited fo generate a hot gas layer of 500-600°C, necessary to cause flashover. Just above the windows and below the edge beam. a ceramic fibre curtain (450mm deep) was installed to simulate the end closure of a suspended ceiling, This also had the additional benefit of lowering the beight of the hot gas layer to aid flashover ‘The total fire loading was equivalent to 46 kg wood/m of floor area by calorific value, Based on previous survey’ of the type of loading found in typical offices, the fire load consisted of 20% plastics, 11% paper and 69% wood. The quantity of fire combustible material was in excess of the 95% fractile for office fire loadings. ‘This is higher than the 80% fractile currently proposed in both European design recommendations and the new UK Fire Engineering Code Draft for Development.” The location of the fire source was at the rear of the compartment which involved igniting several cribs made up of 81% wood and 19% polypropylene. This simulated a condition in which a small fire was established and was then left 10 grow on its own accord, 42